>> after we called, they did remove that outgoing message all together. no rush. it is not like we are in election season or anything. don't rush. you guys. strategy shift. mitt romney backs off his 47% remarks while president obama sharpens his attacks. leap of faith. tense moments as a mother and her five kids are forced to jump from a burning building. and sweet mystery. why are bees in france producing green and blue honey? good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. and we are going to begin this morning with back to

battle. the two presidential candidates are busy attacking each other on the campaign trail following their first debate. today president obama will be campaigning in virginia and ohio. mitt romney is in virginia. governor romney boasted about his debate performance and told supporters he will take back the white house. but for the first time, romney backed away from his controversial remarks about the 47% of americans who don't pay federal income taxes. he was asked what he would have said if that came up in the debate. >> clearly, in a campaign with hundreds if not thousands of speeches and question and answer sessions, now and then you're going say something that doesn't come out right. in this case, i said something that's completely wrong. i absolutely believe, however, that my life has shown that i care about 100%. >> president obama campaigned in wisconsin, sharply criticizing romney's statements during the debate on tax cuts, education, and outsourcing as misleading to

the middle class. the president had this to say about his opponent's plan for reducing the deficit. >> but i just want to make sure i got this straight. he'll get rid of regulations on wall street, but he's going to crack down on "sesame street." [ applause ] thank goodness somebody's finally cracking down on big bird. who knew that he was responsible for all these deficits. elmo's got to watch out. >> and vice president joe biden was campaigning in iowa saying that mitt romney flip-flopped on his own tax cut plan that was the center piece of the gop campaign and biden challenged the republicans on the tax issue. >> you know the phrase they always use, "obama and biden want to raise taxes by $1 trillion. guess what? yes, we do in one regard.

we want to let that $1 trillion tax cut expire so the middle class doesn't have the bear the burden of all that money going to the super wealthy. that's not a tax raise. that's called fairness where i come from. >> and last night on "politics nation," jared bernstein explained to al sharpton that the math in mitt romney's tax plan doesn't add up. >> if you're going to cut taxes 20% across the board, which is mitt romney's plan, you're going to blow a $5 trillion hole over ten years in the government's revenue. now, what governor romney says is i can make that up by closing tax expenditures and loopholes, but there's two problems with that. one, the arithmetic. if you look at people over 200,000, just look at the wealthiest couple of percent, the revenue cuts about $250 billion, and the deductions, the

broadening of the base, gets you back about 160. so you're short about $90 billion. >> and don't miss reverend al sharpton and "politics nation" weekdays at 6:00 eastern here on msnbc, the place for politics. so how will today's monthly jobs report impact the candidates? economists are predicting the unemployment rate could tick up from 8.1 to 8.2%, which could be bad news for president obama. brian mooar has the latest. he's in washington. good morning. >> reporter: hi, lynn. even if it's not great news today, it probably could be worse. today's jobs report is the second to the last before election day. it is a critical snapshot of an economy that's been stuck in low gear. >> whatever the numbers are, the romney campaign is going to cite them as evidence that president obama's policies are failing. >> the president is trying to convince people he's doing real well. he is not. >> reporter: building on a

momentum of wednesday night's debate, romney's trying to reverse his stance in battlegrounds like ohio where he's fallen behind. >> china has passed us in manufacturing. >> reporter: the president argues republicans are offering nothing new. >> it's not plan for our economy. it's not a plan to strengthen the middle class. it is not change. it is a relapse. we're not going to do it. >> reporter: the latest jobs report, cold, hard facts, certain to be the subject of heated debate. economists expected the economy added a less than stellar 115,000 jobs last month. the next jobs report comes out just four days before the election. >> will be an important one. all right, brian. thanks. now here's your first look at some of the other news going on around america today. we're going to begin in new jersey with one family's dramatic escape from a fast-moving fire. the surveillance camera was rolling when a mother and her

five kids jumped from their third-floor apartment. luckily there was a few good samaritan there is. they helped soften their landings. next to utah where it turns out man's best friend was behind a suspected burglary. this is bizarre. when bruce's cell phone received a call from his home phone, he heard scratching and banging. he thought he was being robbed and called police. the officers didn't find anyone in his house. bruce later found out his dog got ahold of the phone and hit the redial button. finally, folks in rhode island are putting the finishing touches on a spectacular celebration of halloween. thousands of jack-o-lanterns carved with impressive scenes from movies. they will be in roger williams' zoo. now for a look at your national weather, let's turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins, who just got a little pressure

put on him at home to up his carving skills. >> i may try the stencils. >> that's cheating. >> you want me to free hand it and have it look horrible? >> kid's 1. he won't know the difference. >> spider-man is tough. let me show you what's happening weather-wise. we had the snow yesterday through the northern plains. all the areas where they had a lot of slushy, heavy, wet snow. that storm is pulling away. behind it, the cold air is moving in. we are going to watch the chillier temperatures moving in its wake. as far as the rain goes today, there's not a lot of it out there. on that front through central illinois, chicago, you look okay, but central illinois is where we have the rain. even thunderstorms along the interstate. you will deal with wet weather there in central portions of missouri. here's the big weather pattern for today. yesterday we had the thunderstorms rolling through areas of new england, heavy

rain. the humidity's been way up. today the humidity is a little lower. today it's going to be very warm and sunny. enjoy it. probably the last summer-like day we'll see until spring. the middle of the country is gettige getting the cooldown today. tomorrow it heads to the east. so today, very warm. you don't need the jacket on the eastern seaboard. later this afternoon, 81 in new york. 81 in washington, d.c. with blue skies and a lot of sunshine. lynn, it's in the middle of the country where there's jackets today with temperatures only in the 40s. things to come for the east coast this weekend. details coming up later. >> all right. thanks so much. also coming up, charles manson's main man pardoned, and feds bust a crime ring that stole almost $.5 billion of your money. plus, the first lady reveals who she'd want to play her husband on the silver screen. that's just ahead in scrambled politics. you're watching "first look" on many msnbc. [ female announcer ] ready for a taste of what's hot?

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among our top stories this morning, the deadly meningitis outbreak has now claimed five lives. 35 cases are being reportsed in six states. the latest, indiana. people in 23 states who received steroid injections for back pain are warning they could be at risk. doctors and nurses are among 91 people charged nationwide in a massive medicare fraud case. the government said it was billed more than $400 million in bogus claims. new rules for secret service agents after that drunken partying at a colombian hotel back in april. they're now banned from drinking where they're staying. sharing sensitive information online could get you fired. bruce davis, known as charles manson's right-hand man, has been recommended for parole. he served more than four decades

for the 1969 killings of a musician and his stuntman. the california governor jerry brown will have the final say. here's a scoop for you, the mars curiosity rover is about to do a little digging. it will collect sampling to see if there were ever favorable conditions for microbe yal life. the presidential debate had one of the biggest audiences in history. "the new york times" says the number of people watching on tv and on the internet totalled about 70 million viewers. mitt romney's campaign is releasing three new tv ads today. one says president obama is creating debt instead of jobs. one ad will air only in nevada. another in ohio. a new film about death of osama bin laden will debut on the national geographic channel only two days before the presidential election. that movie is produced by two obama fundraisers. it will air sunday, november

4th. an employee of kitchen-aid sent this tweet from an official company account about president obama's grandmother during the debate which said, quote, obama's gam even knew he was going to be bad. she died three days before he became president." the company has apologized and said it was sent in error. mitt romney's wife ann will fill in on "good morning america" as co-host robin roberts recovers from a bone marrow transplant. and the first lady was asked by popsugar.com who she'd like to see play her husband in a movie. she said she had two choices. either will smith or denzel washington. what do you think? who would you choose to play barack obama? you can tell me on twitter. go to @lynnberry or head to facebook.com. that is your morning dish of scrambled politics.

and now to wall street. the dow closinged at 13,575 after gaining 80 points yesterday. the s&p was up 10. the nasdaq add 14. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, the nikkei inched up 38 points. the hang seng climbed 104. the s&p is on the cusp of a five-year high. barring any surprises from september's job reports, it could hit that high today. experts predict about 115,000 jobs were added last month. weekly claims ticked slightly higher yesterday. on thursday, coal companies rallied after republican mitt romney gave coal a shoutout during wednesday night's presidential debate. troubling data paints a bleak picture of market confidence. according to one trade group, investors have pulled some $138 billion of investments in stocks since 2009 while funneling $1 trillion into less risky bonds. overseas today, samsung reported

record quarterly profit. facebook is celebrating surpassing 1 billion users this month. meanwhile, social gamer zynga lowered its outlook for the second time this year. american airlines flights are being canceled to allow for repairs. in california, gas prices shot up as much as 30 cents overnight while some station's supplies have dried up entirely. all this thanks to refinery and pipeline problems. meanwhile in canada, 16 trailer loads of stolen maple syrup were escorted back to a warehouse in quebec. a barrel of the sticky commodity actually costs more than oil. >> meanwhile, a bittersweet problem in france where bees were producing honey, but it was in the shade of blue and green. an m&m plant nearby was the source of the coloring. finally, only in new york

would kids pay a babysitter to hold their phone. the devices aren't allowed at school. this company parks outside and holds on to their phone during class. they charge them about $1 a day. brilliant. one of the top trending health stories right now on msnbc.com could cause controversy. a new study finds offering free birth control can dramatically lower the rate of abortion. researchers gave contraception for three years and saw cases of abortion drop from 66 to 75% below the national level. these findings could have a big impact on this year's election. mitt romney has pledged to repeal the affordable care act, which requires insurance to cover contraceptive costs. coming up, the rams down the cards. a college football comeback, and a boxing first. plus, remember this sock? that special blood-soaked sock. well, it could be up for sale. your first look at sports is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ah.

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by the armful? by the barrelful? the carful? how about...by the bowlful? campbell's soups give you nutrition, energy, and can help you keep a healthy weight. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. welcome back to "first look." in sports, the arizona cardinals started 4-0 for the first time in 48 years but could not notch number five last night against the rams. sam bradford airs it out for the one-armed grab. impressive. the cardinals rendered nine sacks on the night. st. louis won 17-3. in college football, usc fought back from a 14-point deficit to beat utah 38-28 last night. the usc quarterback matt barkley

led the trojans to victory with 303 yards and three touchdowns. in baseball, the boston red sox have fired manager bobby valentine. a lot of people saw this coming. the sox went 69-93 in his only year in boston. that was the club's worst season since 1965. in hockey, the nhl has canceled all regular season games through october 24th. that is 82 games total. world boxing organization latino featherweight champion orlando cruz has come out as the first active, openly gay boxer in the history of the sport. and finally, former boston red sox pitcher kurt schilling might have to give up or sell that famed blood-stained sock he wore to the run on the championship. all of this in order to cover millions of dollars in loans he guaranteed to his failed video company. that has got to hurt. now let's get another check of the weather with nbc meteorologist bill karins. are you in the market for a

bloody sock? >> i don't know. >> i can make one for you and sell it to you. >> you know, there was the curse from when the red sox traded babe ruth to the yankees. they said that bloody sock was what reversed the curse. maybe there's value there. >> i'm sure there's a lot of value there. he's hoping. >> not from me. good morning, everyone. let me take you into what is going to be a beautiful friday throughout areas of the mid-atlantic. we had our indirainy day yester the high humidity. it should be a very enjoyable day today. temperatures near 80 degrees. lots of sunshine. a little taste of summer. this will probably be about it for the warm air. the eastern seaboard, that continues into the south. atlanta should see a beautiful day today. still showers and storms in florida. the middle of the country is where things have quickly tumbled. temperatures now only in the 40s. for highs. fall has moved in in a big way. we even have snow showers once again today in northern minnesota. let me take you through your weekend forecast.

that cold front gs gets to the eastern seaboard saturday. not a lot of wet weather. still dry in the middle of country with chilly weather. sunday, it could be a cloud, cold, rainy sunday. the leaves are near their peak too. >> that's a bummer. thank you. another star behind bars, and which film will audiences be take within this weekend? plus, working with the enemy. new "american idol" judge mariah carey is beefing up her security detail, and that's not all she told barbara walters. your entertainment headlines are straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ] after lauren broke up with me, i went to the citi private pass page and decided to be...not boring. that's how i met marilyn... giada... really good. yes! [ jack ] ...and alicia. ♪ this girl is on fire [ male announcer ] use any citi card to get the benefits of private pass. more concerts, more events, more experiences. [ jack ] hey, who's boring now?

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okay, governor romney, you are well with over the allotted two-minute time. >> jim, i still have 30 seconds. >> i still need to keep -- >> na-na-na. >> i think that's a little -- >> i think it's a little weird you're here still. you can just leave and do whatever you want. >> i'm the moderator here. >> jim, i'm going to have to ask you to stop talking. >> oh -- >> yeah -- >> oh -- >> you're a useless human being. >> tonight, jimmy welcomes katie couric. that's "late night with jimmy fallon" weeknights at 12:35. i have to watch that entire clip all the way through. all right. entertainment news. let's check it out. despite negative reviews, liam neeson's thriller "taken 2" is expected to take.

top spot. tim burton's stop-motion animation "frankenweenie" is expected to take in about $17 million. "pitch perfect" could open to the tune of around $16.5 million. other headlines in entertainment, barbara walters said mariah carey told her she's beefed up security after fellow judge nicki minaj was overheard saying if she had a gun she'd shoot her. minaj denied the story. daryl hannah was arrested as well. south korean rapper psy decided to take his shirt off during a concert in seoul. even though that "gangnam" style has not hit number one because he knew we all needed to see that chest. we did. thank you. >> have you tried that dance yet? >> no. >> you hesitated. i think you're lying. >> you want me to test it out

this weekend? >> i think you've already done it. >> i'm bringing it to new york. it's happening, people. stay tuned. i'm lynn berry. this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned. "way too early" with willie geist starts right now. less than 36 hours after wednesday night's debate, we'll get the september jobs numbers in a few hours now. this has president obama hits the campaign trail correcting the record mitt romney presented on the stage in denver. with the combination of that first debate and the jobs number, will mitt romney be boosted? a full 23 days now after the attack on the american consulate in libya that killed four americans, including the u.s. ambassador. the fbi finally arrives on site to investigate. the question is, three weeks later, is there anything left to investigate? and bobby valentine is out in boston after just one miserable season. the question is, is the manager really the problem